Garut rivers run foul with waste<\/p>\n
Moch. N. Kurniawan, The Jakarta Post, Garut, West Java<\/p>\n
Toxic waste pollution in Garut, West Java, has reached alarming
\nproportions but the local administration is powerless to take
\ntough legal action against the perpetrators.<\/p>\n
The water in the Ciwalen and Cigulampeng rivers, and even the
\nCimanuk river, has turned black, with a putrid odor.<\/p>\n
Chromium toxic waste produced by local export-oriented leather
\ntanneries has already contaminated soil and vegetables grown
\nalongside the Ciwalen river, with pollution exceeding the maximum
\nlevels set by the State Ministry for the Environment.<\/p>\n
A test carried out in July showed that chromium (III) in the
\nsoil had already reached 0.11145 milligram per kilogram, while
\nchromium in cabbage was 1.00009 mg per kg, both above the maximum
\nlevel of 0.000035 mg per kg.<\/p>\n
Chromium, used to boost leather tanning productivity, can
\ninduce skin rashes and damage the reproductive system.<\/p>\n
Head of Garut Environmental Management Agency (BPLH) Sukriya
\nadmitted last week that toxic waste from leather tanneries in
\nSukaregang was a major problem in the area but the local
\nadministration had yet to find a way to resolve it.<\/p>\n
\"Despite the toxic waste it produces, the industry absorbs
\nthousands of workers. If we took tough action against those
\ncompanies, like taking them to court or closing them down, we are
\nafraid unemployment would rise,\" Sukriya told journalists last
\nweek.<\/p>\n
According to Sukriya, there were currently over 330 small- and
\nmedium-sized leather tanning firms operating in Garut, producing
\na total of up to 40 tons of toxic waste every month.<\/p>\n
On average, the companies produce 900 tons of tanned leather
\nevery month, the bulk of which is exported to Singapore, Malaysia
\nand Taiwan, apart from meeting demand from Jakarta, West Java,
\nCentral Java, East Java, Bali and several provinces in Sumatra.<\/p>\n
\"Only a few plants have a toxic waste control installation
\n(IPAL), while some have waste installations but do not operate
\nthem,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Sukriya said the local administration had set up two IPALs to
\nhelp reduce widespread toxic waste pollution, but many companies
\ndidn't want to use them.<\/p>\n
\"Now we can only pray that their moral responsibility will
\nimprove and they will give more consideration to environmental
\ndamage in their management,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Local resident Suwarna, 36, said strong odors from the Ciwalen
\nriver had been a nuisance to people living nearby and the water
\ncouldn't be used anymore.<\/p>\n
\"We protested to the industry two years ago to manage their
\nwaste properly, but they gave us only empty promises. It seems as
\nthough the local government did nothing about it,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Farmers, whose land surrounds the Ciwalen and Cigulampeng
\nrivers, have reportedly suffered from a decline in the rice
\nharvest, while others have complained about skin irritations.<\/p>\n
Gunawan, 38, a local leather tanning firm senior official,
\nsaid his firm must have controlled the waste properly, otherwise
\nthe government would have imposed a fine on his company.<\/p>\n
\"We were fined once because farmers couldn't cultivate their
\npaddy fields due to our toxic waste,\" he said<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/garut-rivers-run-foul-with-waste-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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